President Donald Trump has privately acknowledged to advisers that some of his decisions may have contributed to the difficult political environment facing Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections, according to a new report.
Trump has publicly urged supporters to treat the 2026 elections as though his own name were on the ballot, but people familiar with his private conversations told The Washington Post that the president has become increasingly aware of the challenges facing his party.
One person close to Trump said the president “definitely feels like some of his decisions have led to the dynamics where he’s unpopular and things aren’t looking great for the midterms.”
The Washington Post reported that Trump has heard increasingly blunt assessments from advisers and has indicated that he understands some of his decisions — including those surrounding the Iran war — have contributed to the political environment Republicans are confronting. The newspaper cited four people familiar with his recent comments.
The private discussions come as a new NBC News poll shows Trump with a 41% job approval rating among registered voters, the lowest level of his second term in that particular poll. Fifty-six percent disapproved.
The survey also found that 55% of registered voters said Trump’s policies have hurt the economy, compared with 26% who said they have helped it and 18% who said they have made little difference.
NBC’s poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Sept. 11 through Sept. 15 using telephone interviews and an online survey sent by text message. It carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
On the generic congressional ballot, 50% of respondents said they preferred Democratic control of Congress, while 45% backed Republicans. The five-point difference is narrower than the 12-point Democratic advantage NBC measured at a comparable point before the 2018 midterms.
The poll also found that 43% of registered voters viewed their congressional vote as a way to signal opposition to Trump, compared with 27% who said their vote would signal support for him. Another 28% said their vote would not be a signal either way.
Republicans and Democrats are also contesting several closely watched Senate races.
In Alaska, an AARP survey released Sept. 17 found Democratic candidate Mary Peltola at 46% among likely voters and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan at 41%. The poll also showed Sullivan performing more strongly among voters aged 50 and older, per the Daily Mail.
In North Carolina, a Carolina Journal poll released the same day found former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper at about 49% and Republican Michael Whatley at 34%, with roughly 12% undecided.
Those individual surveys represent snapshots of voters at the time they were conducted rather than election results.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued campaigning for Republican candidates and directing political resources toward congressional races as both parties compete for control of the House and Senate.
The midterm elections are scheduled for Nov. 3.
